Entertainment Swindon

Swindon Town came from behind to beat Port Vale at the Nigel Eady County Ground. Aaron Drinan’s first-half strike cancelled out Oliver Lynch’s early opener before a Ben Middlemas screamer and a Louis Millard lob secured all three points for Town.

Ian Holloway made three changes to the side which was defeated in Greater Manchester on Saturday. Ollie Palmer made his first start of the season, with Jack Thomson also making his first Swindon appearance at the Nigel Eady County Ground. Tom Nichols returned to the starting XI for the first time since the opening day.

The visitors opened the scoring with the first chance of the encounter in the 2^nd minute. Jordan Gabriel dispossessed Tom Nichols in the right channel before whipping an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Oliver Lynch, who glanced his attempt into the top left corner.

Town responded in the 12^th minute, when Aaron Drinan swept the ball home with a low finish from a Jack Thomson corner to level the score and net his second of the season on the eve of his contract extension.

Drinan could have doubled his tally four minutes later, after the ball broke kindly inside the box following a scramble, but the 28-year-old blazed his effort high and wide.

He was involved once more in the 20^th minute as he connected superbly to guide a Thomson cross towards the bottom left corner but was denied by an outstanding Jackson Smith reflex stop to turn the ball around the post.

Minutes later, Ollie Clarke won the ball back after asserting pressure on the Port Vale defence before squaring the ball across to Drinan, who fired at a Vale body on the line.

With the pressure building, Ollie Palmer reacted quickest to a Drinan throw in the 24^th minute and finished coolly past Smith, but referee Matt Corlett adjudged the play to have been illegal.

It was the away side who went close next in the 31^st minute when Connor Hall guided a Kyle Dempsey corner towards the back post where Ben Waine’s extra touch took the ball into the side-netting.

The first opportunity of the second half fell the way of the Robins 15 minutes after the restart as Stephan Negru nodded an out-swinging Thomson corner into the grateful hands of Smith.

Palmer was next to try his luck ten minutes later when Drinan slid the forward through, but our number ‘28’ could only fire his strike into the Town End.

Town would take the lead for the first time on the evening in the 71^st minute when substitute Ben Middlemas connected sweetly with a Smith punch from a corner to arrow a fierce drive into the top right corner on the half-volley.

Port Vale went close to levelling the proceedings in the 77^th minute as Ripley produced an important stop to his left to prevent Lynch from finding his second of the game.

Louis Millard secured all three points for The Reds deep into injury time after dispossessing Cameron Humphreys on the halfway line before lifting the ball cheekily over the helpless Smith to ensure Town won back-to-back home games. ​

Starting XI: Ripley, Clark, Negru, Nichols (Snowdon 57’), Clarke, Tafazolli (Middlemas 57’), Majekodunmi, Drinan (Ball 90’), Thomson, Munda, Palmer (Millard 74’)